Marketing Honours: Better than a Gap Year!

Think about the benefits in becoming an expert in a topic.

Getting really involved in a topic that interests you, developing new skills, making new friends in honours (in marketing and other disciplines), collaborating with a supervisor at a 1:1 level, a life long advantage in the job market and developing recognition as an expert in a particular area.

Our honours coordinator is Dr Rohan Miller.

Please make a time to meet Rohan to discuss your potential in the honours program.

Below are details on what the honours year is all about, how Marketing selects students, what you will learn and some examples of where an honours degree in Marketing may take you.

Why Honours in Marketing is Better than a Gap Year

A Marketing Honours degree is an additional one year of study based in the discipline which is undertaken once the pass degree has been completed. Obtaining "Hons" after your degree will set-you apart from ordinary students in the graduate job market, and be a great benefit over the course of your career.

Our past honours students have gone on to a wide range of careers within marketing and wider business roles in world class companies such as:

• Microsoft
• Proctor and Gamble
• AC Nielsen
• Clemenger

Honours is also a important entry point for a possible academic career and about 20% of PhD students enrolled in the Faculty have completed University of Sydney Honours programs. You don't have to do a PhD straight after honours (maybe try working in industry or government first, but successfully completing honours makes undertaking a PhD and a potential career path in academe a real possibility in the future (don't forget Tertiary Education is Australia's 3rd biggest export earner).

Honours class 1 is generally accepted as the standard for admission into postgraduate studies (research Masters and PhD) throughout Australia and abroad, although those obtaining Second Class Honours (Division 1) are sometimes successful at gaining admission as well. To be able to compete for postgraduate scholarships such as the Australian Postgraduate Award (APA), however candidates as a rule, require First Class Honours.

Preparation for Final Honours Year

Prerequisite Units of Study for Eligibility for Final Honours Year

There are no prerequisite Honours units in Marketing; however, students must have completed a major in Marketing.

Application Process for Final Honours Year

Students can talk to the Honours Year Co-ordinator (Dr. Miller) at any time during the year, but applications must be made only during semester two of your final year of study. By registering your interest with the Honours Co-ordinator, we will be able to contact you with relevant details closer to the application deadline.

The closing date for applications for Final Honours Year is the last working day in November (i.e. Friday 27th, 2009).

Honours Year Application Process

Entry Requirements

Entry to honours is based on a high level of academic achievement in Marketing during the Pass degree. In Marketing we also talk to prospective students about the reasons you want to excel in honour, possible topics for a thesis and learn about your commitment to extracurricular activities (e.g. work experience, volunteer work and sports/hobbies). This allows us to assess your wider suitability for the effort required to excel during the honours year.

To be eligible to study honours, students must have:

• Completed a pass degree with a minimum Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of 65 per cent across all senior units of study taken;
• Completed a marketing major with a minimum of 70 per cent in across your marketing units;
• No failures in any Marketing units of study

Applicants from other institutions:

We welcome applicants from other Universities and assess applications on a case by case basis. Students from other Universities should contact the Student Information Office for further details.

Application is based on the following:

• An interview
• A Formal Application that includes:
  • An overview of a proposed thesis topic (this can be discussed with Dr. Miller)
  • Insights why you want to make a commitment for the year
  • Additional requirements are provided during the honours awareness week presentations
• A short cover letter of no more than 1 page
• A Curriculum Vitae of no more than 4 pages
• A brief explanation of your marks / performance to date (this is especially needed for those who may have underperformed or failed in any University subject)
• A copy of the most up to date certified academic transcript with both marks and grades

Assessment of applicants is based on:

• Marketing WAM (Weighted Average Mark)
  A WAM of 75% is recommended.
  • Students with a WAM lower than this are welcome to apply but will need to show additional achievements or justification.
• Performance across other units of study
• Evidence of ability to manage time and commitment to complete a complex year long project
• A fit with suitable potential supervisors

Final Honours Year in Marketing

Objectives of Final Year

The Marketing Honours degree provides a specialist training programme including coursework that it is designed to provide graduates with a high level of specialist knowledge in the analytical and research skills required to solve problems in marketing practice and/or to prepare students for further studies in marketing (e.g. PhD).

The honours year allows students to develop a wide range of additional skills that are highly prized by employers in industry and government. Honours graduates are recognised as possessing levels of knowledge and skill well beyond those obtained by pass degree graduates!

These skills include:

• Project organisation and management
• Independence
• Presentation skills
• Communication and persuasion
• Time management
• Research and analytical skills
• Problem solving capabilities
• Being innovative in your approach to problems
• Developing a comprehensive perspective on a topic

Structure

Overview

Marketing Honours combines a combination of research coursework, research inquiry and support from your supervisor(s) to support your presentation and authorship of a comprehensive thesis.

The Year's Focus: The Thesis!

A critical part of the Honours year in Marketing is selecting the topic that is right for you (and your supervisor). You should think about the areas in marketing you may want to work in and the subjects you have most enjoyed. You are advised to consult with the honours co-ordinator on your topic, and he will assist you find a suitable supervisor(s).

The thesis is expected to present a research problem justified by an extensive review of the literature (theoretical and any industry data that may be applicable). From this you are expected to generate and test hypotheses pertaining to the topic you are investigating. You are required to present your research findings and make informed comment about your findings and their implications for theoretical knowledge (where you will be aiming to make a contribution), marketing management and other potential areas such as public policy.

Students are encouraged to propose their own thesis topic, although guidance will be provided from the Honours co-ordinator and potential supervisors. In addition, there may be opportunities to work with members of Faculty on parts of their research program.

We have a library of thesis documents from previous years; students are able to borrow these from the honours year coordinator.

Below are some of the topics studied in recent years:

• Sexual appeals in advertising: Do audience personality traits make a difference
• Moving out, Making Sense: The consumer re-socialisation of independent you adults
• The internationalisation of high-technology firms developed through the commercialisation of academic research
• An exploration into the consumption patterns of first and second generation Korean Migrants
• A study of B2B relationship management in the Australian wine industry
• An exploration of the use of mobile phones as a data collection method for Market Research
• Background music, judgment tasks, and time perception: An empirical comparison of two theories
• The heterogeneity of the satisfaction response
• Effects of banks as early economic socialisation agents on youth: Long term loyalty and financial behavioural outcomes
• The athlete's sport : What is its impact on the endorsement of non-sport products
• An examination of consumer involvement as a state of drive or motivation

Honours Grades

The final grade of honours will be determined on the following University scale based on an aggregate of your coursework and honours grades:

The final mark for each student who completes an Honours year is reviewed by two committees: a Discipline Honours Examiners Board and a Faculty Honours Examiners Board. These committees will review all honours grades to ensure that they accurately reflect relative student performance over the entire Faculty Honours cohort.

Scholarships

In addition to the University of Sydney honours scholarships and other Faculty scholarships, Canon very generously provide a $5000 Marketing Honours Scholarship. This is awarded to the best student in Marketing major continuing on to Marketing Honours, the recipient is nominated by the Discipline of Marketing between January - March following year, there is no application process.